While we can't say for certain what 2015 will hold for the automotive world, it looks to be one of the best years in a very long time. From superbly exhilarating sports cars to affordable and raucously entertaining small cars, these are the 15 cars we're bursting at the seams to drive this year.

The 2014 LA Auto Show is the last chance of the year for the automotive industry to show off what they have now and what's coming up next. From realistic to only-in-your-dreams, the LA Auto Show has a lot to offer, but only the best are worth mentioning.

Whether it's a long weekend in the mountains with friends and family or an afternoon blast through wooded sweepers and switchbacks, not all cars are created equal. Get your hands on one of these seven prime choices, and your September, October and early November should be much more memorable.

Steep slopes, muddy trails, river crossings and scree slopes turn a garden variety trip into a journey. Adrenaline junkies, take note: off-road excursions are just as exciting as transcontinental road trips, if not more so. Set yourselves up with any of these great vintage off-road adventure cars and you'll see why.

The Germans are all over the diesel car market. Which makes complete sense: those Europeans are passionate about the practicality that diesel-powered cars provide, not to mention the kind of torque that can pull Tyrannosaur teeth from their sockets. If you want a capable German diesel that nets both solid mileage numbers, good driving dynamics and the aesthetics and comfort a stylish German sedan affords, then look to Audi and BMW at the two ends of the price spectrum.

Crossovers have changed in the recent past; you no longer have to trade in your testicles and driving sense to drive one. Even the haters (car nuts) have been proven wrong now that more horses, better driving dynamics and sleeker silhouettes have shown up in performance-focused crossovers. Here are five that break hard from the pack of mediocre crossovers still stuck in the driver's ed parking lot.

Your buddy's Rosso Corsa Red Ferrari makes your blood boil with envy. Unfortunately, your better half won't let you mortgage the house so you can buy one yourself. Though they may not have the prancing horse on the grille or elicit gazes from the bold and the beautiful, these 10 affordable driver's cars still delight with great driving dynamics and the kind of motoring spirit that makes you feel like a kid again.

The beauty of classic automotive design is often in direct struggle with modern safety and fuel economy standards, not to mention the latest in technology. But there are still a number of shining examples around today, ones that echo the past and ones that break new ground but don't break the rules of good taste. These ten prove that less is more and that automotive design is not on the rocks.

A car is certainly more than the sum of its parts, but sometimes it's the little details that make an otherwise good car iconic. These details can be subtle as the Mona Lisa's smile or bold as the LED spire on the new Freedom Tower, or, more often, somewhere in between. We've assembled a list of some of the best automotive features -- both innovative and artistic, groundbreaking and evolutionary -- to ever see the light of day.

Nissan's third generation Murano bowed at the New York Auto Show this spring. The reason you didn't see it in our Ten Best list from the show is because I hate it the way my architect wife hates attached garages and vinyl siding. Car design is trending toward overbearing, thanks in no small part to the tastes of drivers. But there's still hope out there.

Perhaps the most enjoyable car to drive in 2014 is one you wouldn't even stop to admire in a parking lot. The 2014 Audi SQ5 ($59,400) doesn't have ostentatious styling; its idling engine wouldn't wake a sleeping babe; it can seat a family of four comfortably with room for luggage. Yet it's an absolute powerhouse.

Sandwiched between the Geneva Motor Show and the Beijing Auto Show, the New York International Auto Show usually misses out on the biggest reveals of the year, but it still has plenty to offer. This year's show had its fair share of new designs and vehicles along with loads of improved sheetmetal. We've chosen ten standouts from our time on the ground that we'll be looking to drive in 2015.

Concept cars, by definition, push the limits of automotive invention. But even in a field of enigmas and paradigm shifters there can be standouts, vehicles that make competitors look like toys. This is the realm of the new Audi Quattro Concept Mini, which calls to mind an R8 V10 Spyder designed by a Lilliputian Frank Lloyd Wright. It's whole-heartedly future-thinking in its indoctrination of a new and entirely untapped target market. Watch the video for our review.

Watching concept cars bow at international auto shows is like watching the festivities at Paris Fashion Week: displays are daring, beautiful and sometimes just downright petrifying. The world gets to see bold, shocking statements or captivating ones that might just make it to market. The best examples are fuel for dreams of what may come. This year, the Geneva Motor Show proved to be fertile ground. From a student-submitted sports car to a practical van, here are our 10 favorite concept cars from the show.

The Geneva Motor show is where carmakers like to come out and play. The absence of a major Swiss automaker provides both a level playing field for all manufacturers and a platform for car designers to go a bit crazy, often with radical concept cars. But there is a different class of vehicles, the ones that will see production, fulfilling our petrol-filled dreams by bringing speed, power and ingenuity to the road. These are our ten favorite production cars from the show.

It's no longer enough for a big SUV to transport seven; it has to look good and feel good (for both driver and passengers) while doing it. Our intrepid Octane crew drove five of the best seven-passenger SUVs out there and found a flavor for just about anyone. While none of these five SUVs are perfect, each is grand in its own right by virtue of style, quality and utility.